Recognizing the Volunteers who Make Riverwood Retirement Feel More like Home

We are dedicating this month’s blog to celebrating the contributions of our volunteers, who are integral to the success of our community and so precious to our residents.

We are always welcoming volunteers who bring cheerful smiles and helping hands to make a difference in the lives of our Riverwood residents. All volunteers, in both individual participation and group activities, are accepted and greatly appreciated.

Volunteer Spotlight: Phil and Frances Herron

We love volunteers like Phil and Frances Herron, who come the first Friday of every month to conduct cooking classes with our residents.

The Herrons donate the food, as they have for 20+ years. In total, they spend about an hour-and-a-half each month visiting our residents at Riverwood Retirement.

Sometimes they do lots of international traveling and entertain us with photos from those adventures. When your life is affected by mobility issues, it’s great to be able to vicariously experience the larger world through their eyes.

Residents love the Herrons and look forward to seeing them each month.

How to Volunteer

Although we applaud the dedication of the Herrons, volunteering at Riverwood does not necessarily have to involve that much effort. Sometimes it is as simple, though, as helping them organize their own old photos into a scrapbook and listening as they comment during their trip down memory lane. Listening to someone who feels lonely helps in more ways than you can imagine.

Some of our volunteers are performers who visit to sing or play an instrument, share a companion therapy pet trained for this purpose, play a game or call out the Bingo numbers, etc.

The Benefits of Volunteerism

“What’s in it for me?” you might ask. Plenty, as it turns out.

In addition to the personal fulfillment gained from smiling seniors, volunteering in an Assisted Living community offers the chance to practice your skills as a performer, public speaker, or build general people skills that can improve your networking ability.

It can look great on a resume if a hiring manager sees you’ve listed experience volunteering in the community and have a professional reference from a member of our leadership staff – especially if you want to eventually pursue a field where you work with the public and aging populations. In a tight job market, applicants need every advantage they can get!

On a personal development level, we gain wisdom and perspective when talking to seniors about their life experiences. Obviously, younger folks can learn what pitfalls to avoid when getting advice from our residents and what recommendations to follow for a better future.

Gaining a more complete understanding of the issues seniors encounter in their daily lives, the rest of us benefit by becoming better advocates on their behalf. This may be greatly important to you if you visit Riverwood to spend time with an aging parent, aunt or uncle, part of your church family, etc.